Modifié 27 févr. 2023 à 13 h 42
This trade is unorthodox, which is causing a lot of sticker shock.
The first thing is, Cal Foote doesn't have a lot of value. His status as a former first round pick is irrelevant since he was drafted 6 years ago. He's a 6th-7th defenseman, and is close to a finished product. Had the Lightning shopped him individually, they would have received a late pick for him. Most NHL defensemen of that calibre attract 4th-7th round picks in trades.
The other thing is that the Predators originally asked for two 1st round picks. TBL 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and Foote is worth less than a late 1st. This is the unorthodox part of the trade. Teams usually don't spread out value that way in trades. Instead of a 3rd, 4th, a 5th, and Foote, usually a team might deal a 2nd. If this trade was a 1st+2nd+2nd for Jeannot, there would still be talk that it was an overpayment, but the trade wouldn't look anywhere near as obscene. While it's stupid to trade all your draft picks, it would not be difficult for Tampa to acquire 3-4 late picks by trading away spare parts or trading future picks.
Jeannot as a rental probably attracts a 2nd and a few smaller pieces. In this case, he is an RFA and Tampa retains his rights for at least another season or to flip him as a trade piece. So there is some additional value there. There are rumours that Tampa might look to extend him long term, and that his ask is somewhere in the 2.XXM range long term. In that case, this could end up as a huge win for Tampa. They get an effective top 9 power forward at 800k to improve their lineup. The only roster piece they gave up was a defenseman who was playing replaceable minutes. Then in terms of Jeannot extended at 2.XXM, if he is just a big bodied bottom 6 player, then whatever he is slightly overpaid. If he is anything close to what he showed in the NHL and AHL from 2020-2022, then he will be an absolute steal.
You also have to factor in the age of Tampa's roster and how their competitive window is now. Maximizing the roster this season and next season is 10x more important than 5 or 6 years down the line when those draft picks might figure in. With Tampa's consistent success, those picks are almost certainly going to be near the end of the round. For context, the 2nd that Ottawa gave up for Zaitsev is probably more valuable in theory as a top 45 pick in the upcoming draft than a protected 2025 TBL 1st is.
It's great work by Poile to help restock the cupboards for his successor. There is some risk to it on the Tampa side with the player being a late bloomer who has taken a step back this season, but that's also the only reason they got this kind of player at this cap hit for this trade cost. If Jeannot was a known quantity, he wouldn't be available for this kind of package. Mostly, the unorthodox format of the trade and the overvaluing of Foote based on his status as a first round pick is what caused the sticker shock for this trade.